Down Shift Magazine | Car Culture, Motorsports, News and More

2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Exudes Racetrack Swagger

The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is clear in its intentions, it is uncompromisingly designed for maximum performance. The 518 hp road-legal high-performance sports car takes full advantage of technology and concepts from motorsport. Even beyond the high-revving naturally aspirated engine with racing DNA and intelligent lightweight construction, it is, above all, the cooling and aerodynamic systems of the 911 GT3 RS that connect it most directly with its motorsport brother, the 911 GT3 R. The basis for a significant performance boost is the concept of a central radiator an idea that was first used in the Le Mans class-winning [...]

What Defines A Sports Car?

August 11, 2022

Reading Time: 9 minutes How do you define a sports car? In purely technical terms it might be defined as a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, […]

Most Expensive 300ZX Ever?

July 26, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes It is no secret that a 90’s nostalgia-fueled wave of collector optimism, fueled by the Xenial coming of middle age has created a lucrative new niche for serious car collectors, but this 1994 Nissan 300ZX’s […]

Most Popular Car Colors Today?

July 25, 2022

Reading Time: 4 minutes Have you ever wondered what the most popular car colors are? Perhaps, not surprisingly the answer is white and black. Americans and for that matter, all automobile driving denizens of the world seem to prefer […]

Speaking of Ken Block…

July 22, 2022

Reading Time: 4 minutes Ford fans around the world enjoy the fun and practicality of late-model pony cars, but nothing compares to Ken Block’s Hoonicorn Mustang specs. In fact, every Ford Mustang for sale would love to be a […]

Most Powerful Civic Ever?

July 21, 2022

Reading Time: 4 minutes We praised the Type R for its excellent handling and gutsy 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Type R badge after it was first seen on the NSX Type R […]

Have You Subscribed Yet?

July 16, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes Founded in 2003, Down Shift Magazine is the realization of a dream conceived by a group of Central Florida college friends, active in the Motorsports community, and eager to develop a creative outlet where […]

An Impressive End for Audi’s Venerable 611 Horsepower V10

The time has come for another famous Volkswagen Group engine to bow out of the public eye. Audi’s naturally-aspirated V10 is nearing the end of its life in production cars and is getting sent out in a limited run of just 333 Audi R8 Coupé V10 GT RWDs. With 612 horses on tap and rear-wheel-drive, this engine and the car it’s bolted to are going out with a bang. Back in 2021 Audi officially announced the end of the Audi R8 as we know it, [...]

The Volkswagen Failure That Saved Porsche

The 924 was originally a joint project of Volkswagen and Porsche created by the Vertriebsgesellschaft (VG), the joint sales and marketing company founded by Porsche and VW to market and sell sports cars (Ludvigsen: Porsche, Excellence was Expected). For Volkswagen, it was intended to be the company’s flagship coupé sports car and was dubbed “Project 425” during its development. For Porsche, it was to be its entry-level sports car replacing [...]

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Modified 1991 Toyota SW20 MR2 Turbo

This 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo is finished in silver over black leather upholstery and is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four paired with a five-speed manual transaxle. Equipment includes pop-up headlights, integrated fog lamps, removable [...]
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Modified 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe 6-Speed

This 2011 Cadillac CTS-V coupe is powered by a supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V8 mated to a six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential and was special-ordered new by the seller from Cadillac of Novi, Michigan. Modifications [...]
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2018 Ford GT With Just 34 Miles Hits Mecum Auction This July

This particular GT has never been titled or registered, meaning the winning bidder will be the first registered owner, making it perfect for those on the waiting list for a GT but willing to pay [...]

Photo of the Week #33 – Nissan Z GT500

Nissan based the vehicle on the seventh-generation Z road car, however, the GT500 class is a silhouette class, where the actual chassis of the racecar is a tube frame, carbon fiber monocoque mashup, and the body is styled after a production car’s shell. The engine isn’t even similar to 3.0L Twin Turbo V6 found under the hood of the latest 7th generation Z . Instesd, the 2023 Z’s VR30DDTT V-6 is replaced by a specified 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 that’s boosted by a Garrett Motion-specific turbo. At 51 psi of boost, this little engine is capable of making up to 650 hp on 102 octane fuel. [...]